Panasonic is introducing the Panasonic DMC LZ3, incorporating MEGA O.I.S.(Optical Image Stabilizer) and 6x optical zoom (equiv. 37mm to 222mm on 35mm camera) lens, that run on two AA batteries. MEGA O.I.S. is the image stabilization system against handshake. Panasonic is the first company in the industry to have succeeded in incorporating MEGA O.I.S. into a compact digital camera and now its benefit is strongly approved by the users of the world, considered to be the standard of photography. Compared to the previous models, the DMC-LZ2/LZ1, the LZ3 adopts large and bright 2.0 inch LCD and both speeds up its AF time by adopting 1-point high speed AF option while AF assist lamp is newly incorporated. The enhanced scene mode option includes the high sensitivity mode that allows shooting at max. ISO 1600. This is realized by the new pixel-mixed readout method of CCD even realizing the recording of bright motion image in VGA size. In addition, the newly incorporated Extra Optical Zoom function allows more powerful zooming max. 7.5x in 3 Megapixel image recording. For the brain of the camera, the LZ3 incorporate continued Venus Engine Plus, which saves energy consumption to achieve long battery life while maintaining quick response and high picture quality.

Panasonic Lumix LZ3 - Optical image stabilization - As you recall, the blurred image caused by hand shake is the biggest problem of digital camera photography. Let us again mention our MEGA O.I.S. here for the introduction of our new product information. Normally, the compactness of the camera results in the good portability and shooting using LCD helps fine view, however, these advantages may stand in the way because they reduce stability on the other hand. However, MEGA O.I.S. solves those problems. The spur-of-the-moment for which you're not ready enough to keep your posture and the low-lit indoor or night time, when the shutter speed tends to slow, and macro shooting in which even a slight move will spoil the picture, all those are common situations accompany blurry pictures. However, MEGA O.I.S. enables you to easily take clear, beautiful pictures in even in such situations. This capital feature is subsumed under no other cameras but LUMIX among the entry class models that run on AA batteries. In addition, the Panasonic Lumix DMC LZ3 allows shooting with max. ISO 1600 setting in the newly incorporated High Sensitivity mode. This takes advantage of shooting moving subject such as baby and pets especially indoors, which were often spoiled by the movement of subject itself.

Panasonic Lumix camera - MEGA O.I.S, Zoom & Lens - Thus, the handshake and the movement of the subject, both the major causes of the blurred picture, are compensated with MEGA O.I.S. and High Sensitivity Mode to help you to take clear and beautiful picture in various situations. The Panasonic DMC-LZ3 is equipped with outstanding optical 6x zoom that captures and magnifies subjects located at a distance that cannot be captured enough by the 3x zoom of ordinary compact cameras. Even this outstanding zooming capability is supported by MEGA O.I.S. allowing every user to take clear, sharp images, coupled with the new high sensitivity mode that works against the movement of subject. The Panasonic Lumix LZ3 is equipped with the optical 6x zoom (equivalent to a 37- 222 mm zoom on a 35 mm film camera) lens, while keeping the body size as compact as ordinary 3x zoom cameras. The 6x zoom ratio can be extended up to 7.5x in 3-Megapixel image recording mode thanks to the Extra Optical Zoom function with minimal deterioration, by intentionally using the central part of the CCD. This powerful zooming function allows you not only to easily capture and magnify subjects in distant locations, but also to take impressionable photos with soft-focused backgrounds. In addition, the zoom lens features the crystallization of Panasonic's optics technology, eight elements in seven groups including two aspherical lenses, which are used to achieve compactness and higher optical performance.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ3 digital camera - High ISO - MEGA O.I.S.(Optical Image Stabilizer), that Panasonic thinks it indispensable for all digital cameras, especially for compact models that lacks stability, is subsumed under Lumix all line-up. Now this hand shake correction system, which accompanies no deterioration of image quality, is appreciated by the users of the world and positively getting to be the standard of digital camera photography. Every slight hand-shake movement is detected accurately with the sampling frequency at 4,000 times per second and will be compensated to render clear, sharp images. It also features two corrective modes, Mode 1 and Mode 2. Mode 1 constantly detects and follows movements and continuously compensates for them. In contrast, in Mode 2, the O.I.S. lens suppresses hand-shake only at the moment the shutter button is pressed. In this mode, the lens can move in all directions at the moment to maximize its effect, and higher-resolution image can be taken by capturing the image as close as to the center of the lens. In consequence, since MEGA O.I.S. enables a beautiful picture shot without blurring at slower shutter speeds of more than 3 steps compared to the conventional models without O.I.S.. You can enjoy shooting clear and beautiful pictures easily even in the situations using slow shutter speeds, like indoor portrait shots and nighttime scenery, as well as shooting of a delicate flower using macro mode. In addition, the Panasonic Lumix LZ3 allows shooting with max. ISO 1600 setting in the newly incorporated High Sensitivity Mode. This takes advantage of shooting moving subject such as baby and pets especially indoors, which were often spoiled by the movement of subject itself. This High Sensitivity Mode is made possible by the pixel-mixed readout method of the new CCD developed for Lumix LZ3. The picture quality is good enough for the development into ordinary 4" x 6" print size. Thus, the handshake and movement of the subject, both the major causes of the blurred picture, are compensated with MEGA O.I.S. and High Sensitivity Mode to help you to take clear and beautiful picture in various situations.

Panasonic DMC LZ3 camera - Image processing - The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ3 incorporate the Venus Engine Plus LSI for high performance image processing in both speed and image quality as well as other LUMIX models. For the burst shooting mode, it boasts the shooting at three frames per second at full resolution. You can start it the moment you want thanks to the independent button, allowing you to record consecutive images and select the best one afterward. And the Unlimited Consecutive Shooting function allows limit-free consecutive shooting up to the capacity of the SD memory card. The industry-leading release time lag of 0.006 sec does not let you miss a shooting chance and helps you capture the spur-of-the-moment. The Venus Engine Plus reduces the power consumption to the 70% of that of Venus Engine II, enabling the shooting of 250 images per single replacement of batteries.

Panasonic Lumix LZ3 digital camera - LCD display - Compared to the previous LZ2/LZ1, the LCD for LZ5 becomes larger to be easy-to-see 2.0 inch. Thanks to the new pixel-mixed readout method performed at CCD, the sensitivity is greatly increased to offer brightness on the live image displayed on LCD, allowing you to enjoy comfortable shooting even in low-lit situations. The High Angle LCD function, which is the first application to the digital camera LCD, makes the display extremely easy to view from bottom angle, for example, when taking photos raising a hand upward to shoot the subject over the crowd. This option can be set instantly by the independent button. The large LCD allows the display of images even in tiny thumbnail size. Playback of 9, 16 and 25 is possible on a multi-split screen in addition to the normal 1 frame playback. This helps you to search for the image you want out of a number of images stored on the SD Memory Card, even if the images are in bulk.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ3 - Video clip and AF - A newly incorporated CCD that adopts a pixel-mixed readout method makes it possible to record beautiful full-size movies in VGA size at 30 fps. The new CCD provides much higher luminous signals, enhancing the picture quality not only in size but also in the brightness level of the image. In addition to the 5-point, 3-point high speed, 1-point normal speed and Spot, you can select 1-point high speed AF setting. In the 1-point high-speed AF, the AF time has been dramatically reduced by about 40%. This makes the auto focusing even easier but very accurate quickly. Although screen-freeze in high-speed AF is now minimized, to take pictures of fast-moving subjects you can select 1-point normal-speed AF, which does not have any screen-freeze while focusing. Finally, to extend the AF ability under low-light conditions or even at night, an AF assist lamp is newly included.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ3 - Scène modes, Memory & Battery - Lumix LZ series has a mode dial that shortcuts the selection of the scene mode that best matches the situation quickly and easily. The Panasonic Lumix LZ3 contain six new scene modes added to the LZ2/LZ1s providing a total of fourteen scene modes to assist your shooting according to the wide-ranging situations. Our unique mode Baby, allows easy growth recording in which the babys time of age according to the preset birthday would be automatically recorded onto the image, as well as maximizing the purity by giving a shade of soft focus on the subject. This mode has already been incorporated in other recent Lumix series and favored and now doubled for Panasonic DMC LZ3 so that you can set two birthdays to apply to two children's records of growth. On the other hand, the Simple Mode offers easy shooting even to entry-level users by making most settings automatically. You just aim at the subject, zoom in or out, and press the shutter button, even compensating backlight if necessary. With 14MB of built-in memory, you can take photos without missing a chance that may suddenly arise even when you do not have an SD Memory Card. You can also store your favorite photos like an album that you can enjoy viewing or showing at any time. Additionally, you can easily copy photos from the built-in memory to the SD Memory Card and vice versa. The Panasonic DMC-LZ3 runs on 2 AA batteries, which can be purchased anywhere. Panasonic OXYRIDE AA batteries offer more than 1.6 times increased number of shots compared with the Alkaline AA batteries. The OXYRIDE batteries are included in Panasonic Lumix DMC LZ3, allowing you to take up to a maximum of 250 photos (CIPA).